Something Special
by YouStarteldTheSister
Summary: Ellis gives Nick the greatest Christmas present ever.


It was christmas morning, and Nick was already hard at work on the booze. After all, who would remember someone like him on a day like today?. Everyone that had knew him died years ago in the zombie apocalypse, and the three friends he'd come to made after that had already gone their separate ways. He hadn't heard from Coach and Ro in months and while Ellis still found a way to come around every once in awhile Nick could almost guess he wouldn't see the excitable kid today. He was probably off somewhere causing some snow related trouble with his unlucky friend Kieth. If they didn't end up getting arrested for something stupid he'd probably see him tomorrow. Wish him a "merry christmas" and all that shit, like Nick really cared. Christmas had never been anything special for him as a kid and still wasn't really. It was just another reason to stay at home and drink himself stupid.

Setting the bottle of scotch down, Nick took up the small rounded glass in one hand and his cigarette in the other. Trying to his best to ignore the way the scenery outside looked like something right out of a fucking christmas card, Nick pasted by one of several windows and plopped down on the couch, Ellis hadn't let Nick totally get by with forgetting about the holidays and had come by about a week ago to decorate his apartment for him. Flicking his ashes into the waiting tray on the coffee table the aging man tried to ignore the cheerfulness of the room and turned on the flatscreen, trying to find something that wasn't a christmas show to watch. But he had no such luck, even the news was decked out for this stupid holiday. So Nick just turned off the tv and threw the remote down on the table. Grumbling to himself about how it was just ridiculous to be this happy about some fucking snow.

With nothing else to do, his eyes started to wander around the room, looking for anything really. He'd even re-clean the living room if it meant he had something to do besides sit here. Seeing nothing that needed picked up on the floor, those eyes started to scan the walls. Over pictures he didn't really care for but had hung up anyway to give the room some kind of look, past another window that was mostly icy and thankfully didn't give him much a view of the outside world, past that annoying stocking Ellis had hung up for him.. and then back to said stocking when Nick noticed there was a bit of a lump there. Narrowing his eyes to green slits, the conman tried to remember if he had put anything in it.

He'd been sober when he had finally decided to go to bed last night, and he didn't remember dropping anything in it or any time before then really. Up until now it had just been a flat red blob on his wall of useless decorations. So how in the hell did it get a lump in it?.. there was no way he'd ever believe Santa came to see him and his security system hadn't gone off in the night so no one had broken in. Setting his glass down on a coaster, Nick got up and continued to grumble to himself as he walked over to the wall and took the fuzzy red sock off it's hook. Not having an explanation for things like this annoyed Nick to no end, and he was going to find out just what was in here and how it could have possibly gotten in there.

Holding one hand out to catch the mystery object, Nick used the other to turn the sock over and watched as the lump tumbled down and a little black box landed in his waiting hand. It looked a lot like a ring box, and that confused Nick even more. He hadn't been dating any girls lately, and Ellis was the only man he ever saw, so who would've given him a ring.. and WHY?. He sure wasn't getting married again, not to some stalker chick who thinks this is the way to do it anyway. He'd had his fill of crazy women with his ex wife, and sometimes he still had fun dreaming about all the different ways she could have died during the apocalypse.

Going back to the couch, Nick dropped the stocking beside him and set the black box on the coffee table, looking at it for a long time before he finally dared to open it. He let out a little sigh of relief when he found it wasn't a ring at all, but instead a silver key that looked like it had only recently been made and a small folded up piece of notebook paper. This was what Nick grabbed up first, once again afraid this was from stalker chick who had bought him another car or something in exchange for his money or some shit.

_Merry Christmas Nick!_

_Sorry 'bout taking your spare key to do this, but I thought I'd come in after you went to sleep and play Santa for ya!. Cause ya know everyone deserves a present on Christmas!._

_Anyway we're having a party at OUR house tonight, and I expect YOU to be home on time to get nice looking for everyone._

_Ellis_

Nick must have read the note five hundred times before he was sure he had it right. Ellis had given him a key, to their house as a present. But they didn't have a house, unless.. that had to be it! there was no other way to explain the way he had worded that. Ellis wanted Nick to come live with him, and after finishing his scotch and sticking both key and note in his suit pocket, Nick stuck his shoes on his feet and turned out the lights. Stepping out into some freshly fallen snow, and not even bothering to set the alarm or lock the door or anything as he left. There was nothing really here he wanted anyway. Just shit he had collected up or been given so he'd have what he needed and the means to live. , going straight for the car lot so he could get out of here and get... home...

Maybe Christmas wasn't so bad after all.


End file.
